ZAMBOANGA CITY, 5 May 2005 — In an utter disregard of the growing condemnation against the killing of journalists in the Philippines, gunmen yesterday shot a radio commentator in the southern city of Dipolog, severely wounding him.
Police said Cline Cantoneros, who has his own radio talk program, was shot seven times by a gunman on a motorcycle as he walked home after midnight.
Cantoneros, who works with the local DXAA radio, was in serious and unstable condition at a local hospital, police and media watchdogs said.
The 32-year-old victim was able to describe his assailants to the police before undergoing surgery, according to a colleague.
The attack occurred after Philippine media marked World Press Freedom Day with a rally to denounce the spate of killings of journalists in the country.
Cantoneros is the latest victim in a series of attacks against journalists in the Philippines, which the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has dubbed the “most murderous” place for reporters in the world.
“We are trying to determine the motives behind the attack,” Vidal Querol, the regional police chief, told reporters. “We’re lucky because he survived and he can help us hunt down the people who wanted him silenced.”
The Philippines has prided itself on having the freest press in Southeast Asia since the ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. But journalists have also become the most vulnerable due to the widespread use of violence to settle grudges. Many journalists were killed after campaigning against corruption involving local officials.
Since the start of 2005, three journalists have been killed in the Philippines, while two others survived attacks. Last year, 13 journalists were murdered in the country.
CPJ noted that most of the killed journalists had reported on government and police corruption, drug dealing and activities of crime syndicates.
On Tuesday, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the United Nations to dispatch a team to the Philippines to investigate the deadly attacks on journalists.
RSF noted that at least 52 journalists have been killed in the country since 1986, when democracy was restored after former dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted by a popular insurrection.
Cantoneros, who funded his own radio program, is known for his hard-hitting commentaries against official involvement in corruption and illegal gambling.
“We want the government to show more political will to solve these killings,” Inday Varona, president of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), told Reuters.
“The continuous murders only go to show these people do not fear our government.” The NUJP says that 66 Philippine journalists have died in work-related violence since 1986.
It called on the UN to “summon the Philippine ambassador to the Commission for Human Rights and remind him of his country’s undertakings as regards to the protection of human rights.” (With input from agencies)
